NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—NBC New York broke the story last night that embattled NJ Governor Chris Christie appropriated $4.8 million in Hurricane Sandy relief funds to help build a luxury highrise building in New Brunswick.

The revelation makes the 16-story project, currently under construction between Somerset and Condict Streets, the second such use of Sandy funding called into question this week.

Its city-based developer, Boraie Development LLC, has strong political ties to the Governor and new US Senator Cory Booker. As we reported in April 2012, the Boraie family and its companies have been among New Brunswick’s most generous political contributors over the past several decades.

The Boraies are also among the most powerful property owners in the 5.5-square-mile city, with several office buildings and retail establishments, at least 77 rental units at 23 different addresses, and a 23-story luxury condominium building in their portfolio.

New Brunswick was listed as the 188th hardest-hit town by Hurricane Sandy in a Rutgers University survey, hardly making it a leading contender for the rebuilding funds.

The Rutgers study ranked Belleville as the 254th hardest-hit town in NJ, but that didn’t stop Christie from spending $6 million on the senior building. At the groundbreaking ceremony for that project, the hurricane was only mentioned once in passing.

But that town’s Democratic Mayor Raymond Kimble and Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo had endorsed Christie during his landslide re-election.

In the case of the New Brunswick building, it was a former professional basketball player, and not a politician, that gave the Governor an endorsement.

Shaquille O’Neal said he doesn’t often endorse politicians, but Chris Christie was worth it, in a TV commercial promoting the Governor’s 2013 re-election campaign.

O’Neal, a Newark native, and Boraie, who immigrated to New Brunswick from Egypt, have teamed up for several development projects that received millions in subsidies from the state government, and political support from former Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

Booker’s Senate campaign office in New Brunswick was on the ground floor of 120 Albany Street, another Boraie building. Representatives for his campaign and Senate office never responded to questions about how much, if any, rent was paid for the office.

Anthony Marchetta, the head of NJ’s Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, told NBC that the building deserved the funds because 48 of the 238 apartments will be affordable and advertised to Sandy victims.

“We made an announcement to the development community that if you have any projects in those nine counties [where an emergency was declared] that would generate affordable housing, bring ’em on.”

Charlie is the founder and editor of New Brunswick Today, and the winner of the Awbrey Award for Community-Oriented Local Journalism. He is a proud Rutgers University journalism graduate and a community organizer, and was an independent candidate for Mayor of New Brunswick in 2018.

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